Software Project Management

E – Contents

UNIT - 1

What is Software?

Collection of computer programs and related data

(associated documentation)

 Projects to produce software are worthwhile only

if they satisfy real needs of stakeholders.

 Identifying these objectives and checking that they

are met is the basis of successful project.

What is Project?

 Project size is important.

 Non-routine Tasks
 Planning is required
 Aiming at a specific target
 Work carried out for a customer
 Involving several specialism
 Made up of several different phases
 Constrained by time and resources
 Large and/or complex

What are constraints on a project?

Projects are constrained by three factors: time,

budget and quality.
What is management?

Planning – deciding what is to be done

Organizing – making arrangements
Staffing – selecting the right people for the job
Directing – giving instructions
Monitoring – checking on progress
Controlling – taking action to remedy hold-ups
Innovating – coming up with solutions when problems
Emerge.
Representing – presenting to clients, users,
developers and other stakeholders.

Project Management v/s Software Project Management.

o Invisibility.

o Complexity.

o Flexibility.

Activities Covered Under SPM

 Feasibility Study
 Planning
 Project Execution
 Requirements Analysis
 SRS
 Design
 Coding
 Verification and Validation
 Implementation/Installation
 Maintenance and support

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material-notes-spm.html

Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is a process used by the software industry to
design, develop and test high quality softwares. The SDLC aims to produce a high-quality
software that meets or exceeds customer expectations, reaches completion within times and
cost estimates.

 SDLC is the acronym of Software Development Life Cycle.

  It is also called as Software Development Process.

 SDLC is a framework defining tasks performed at each step in the software

development process.

 ISO/IEC 12207 is an international standard for software life-cycle processes. It aims

to be the standard that defines all the tasks required for developing and maintaining
software.

What is SDLC?

SDLC is a process followed for a software project, within a software organization. It

consists of a detailed plan describing how to develop, maintain, replace and alter or enhance
specific software. The life cycle defines a methodology for improving the quality of
software and the overall development process.
The following figure is a graphical representation of the various stages of a typical SDLC.

A typical Software Development Life Cycle consists of the following stages −

Stage 1: Planning and Requirement Analysis

Requirement analysis is the most important and fundamental stage in SDLC. It is performed
by the senior members of the team with inputs from the customer, the sales department,
market surveys and domain experts in the industry. This information is then used to plan the
basic project approach and to conduct product feasibility study in the economical,
operational and technical areas.
Planning for the quality assurance requirements and identification of the risks associated
with the project is also done in the planning stage. The outcome of the technical feasibility
study is to define the various technical approaches that can be followed to implement the
project successfully with minimum risks.

Stage 2: Defining Requirements

Once the requirement analysis is done the next step is to clearly define and document the
product requirements and get them approved from the customer or the market analysts. This
is done through an SRS (Software Requirement Specification) document which consists
of all the product requirements to be designed and developed during the project life cycle.

Stage 3: Designing the Product Architecture

SRS is the reference for product architects to come out with the best architecture for the
product to be developed. Based on the requirements specified in SRS, usually more than one
design approach for the product architecture is proposed and documented in a DDS - Design
Document Specification.
This DDS is reviewed by all the important stakeholders and based on various parameters as
risk assessment, product robustness, design modularity, budget and time constraints, the best
design approach is selected for the product.
A design approach clearly defines all the architectural modules of the product along with its
communication and data flow representation with the external and third party modules (if
any). The internal design of all the modules of the proposed architecture should be clearly
defined with the minutest of the details in DDS.

Stage 4: Building or Developing the Product

In this stage of SDLC the actual development starts and the product is built. The
programming code is generated as per DDS during this stage. If the design is performed in a
detailed and organized manner, code generation can be accomplished without much hassle.
Developers must follow the coding guidelines defined by their organization and
programming tools like compilers, interpreters, debuggers, etc. are used to generate the
code. Different high level programming languages such as C, C++, Pascal, Java and PHP are
used for coding. The programming language is chosen with respect to the type of software
being developed.

Stage 5: Testing the Product

This stage is usually a subset of all the stages as in the modern SDLC models, the testing
activities are mostly involved in all the stages of SDLC. However, this stage refers to the
testing only stage of the product where product defects are reported, tracked, fixed and
retested, until the product reaches the quality standards defined in the SRS.

Stage 6: Deployment in the Market and Maintenance

Once the product is tested and ready to be deployed it is released formally in the appropriate
market. Sometimes product deployment happens in stages as per the business strategy of
that organization. The product may first be released in a limited segment and tested in the
real business environment (UAT- User acceptance testing).
Then based on the feedback, the product may be released as it is or with suggested
enhancements in the targeting market segment. After the product is released in the market,
its maintenance is done for the existing customer base.
Software development process

Description
In software engineering, a software development process is the process of dividing software
development work into smaller, parallel or sequential steps or subprocesses to improve
design, product management, and project management. It is also known as a software
development life cycle.

Types
Most modern development processes can be vaguely described as agile. Other methodologies
include waterfall, prototyping, iterative and incremental development, spiral development,
rapid application development, and extreme programming.

Purpose
The basic purpose of these methodologies is to provide smooth software development
according to the project requirements. The software development methodology is a
framework that is used to structure, plan, and control the process development of an
information system.25-Dec-2020

Advantages

Positive. Time saver: When you need results fast, code-and-fix is perfect. With a small
amount of time, the code-and-fix model allows one to produce a finished product fast. Lack
of money or resources: Sometimes a company does not have the money to really plan a
project.

What is a software process model?

A software process model is an abstraction of the software development process. The models
specify the stages and order of a process. So, think of this as a representation of the order of
activities of the process and the sequence in which they are performed.

A model will define the following:

 The tasks to be performed

 The input and output of each task
 The pre and post conditions for each task
 The flow and sequence of each task
The goal of a software process model is to provide guidance for controlling and coordinating
the tasks to achieve the end product and objectives as effectively as possible.
There are many kinds of process models for meeting different requirements. We refer to these
as SDLC models (Software Development Life Cycle models). The most popular and
important SDLC models are as follows:

 Waterfall model
 V model
 Incremental model
 RAD model
 Agile model
 Iterative model
 Prototype model
 Spiral model

Factors in choosing a software process

Choosing the right software process model for your project can be difficult. If you know your
requirements well, it will be easier to select a model that best matches your needs. You need
to keep the following factors in mind when selecting your software process model:
Project requirements

Before you choose a model, take some time to go through the project requirements and
clarify them alongside your organization’s or team’s expectations. Will the user need to
specify requirements in detail after each iterative session? Will the
requirements change during the development process?

Project size

Consider the size of the project you will be working on. Larger projects mean bigger teams,
so you’ll need more extensive and elaborate project management plans.

Project complexity

Complex projects may not have clear requirements. The requirements may change often, and
the cost of delay is high. Ask yourself if the project requires constant monitoring or feedback
from the client.

Cost of delay

Is the project highly time-bound with a huge cost of delay, or are the timelines flexible?

Customer involvement

Do you need to consult the customers during the process? Does the user need to participate in
all phases?

Familiarity with technology

This involves the developers’ knowledge and experience with the project domain, software
tools, language, and methods needed for development.

Project resources

This involves the amount and availability of funds, staff, and other resources.

Types of software process models

As we mentioned before, there are multiple kinds of software process models that each meet
different requirements. Below, we will look at the top seven types of software process models
that you should know.

Waterfall Model - Design

Waterfall approach was first SDLC Model to be used widely in Software Engineering to
ensure success of the project. In "The Waterfall" approach, the whole process of software
development is divided into separate phases. In this Waterfall model, typically, the outcome
of one phase acts as the input for the next phase sequentially.
The following illustration is a representation of the different phases of the Waterfall Model.

The sequential phases in Waterfall model are −

 Requirement Gathering and analysis − All possible requirements of the system to
be developed are captured in this phase and documented in a requirement
specification document.
 System Design − The requirement specifications from first phase are studied in this
phase and the system design is prepared. This system design helps in specifying
hardware and system requirements and helps in defining the overall system
architecture.
 Implementation − With inputs from the system design, the system is first developed
in small programs called units, which are integrated in the next phase. Each unit is
developed and tested for its functionality, which is referred to as Unit Testing.
 Integration and Testing − All the units developed in the implementation phase are
integrated into a system after testing of each unit. Post integration the entire system
is tested for any faults and failures.
 Deployment of system − Once the functional and non-functional testing is done; the
product is deployed in the customer environment or released into the market.
 Maintenance − There are some issues which come up in the client environment. To
fix those issues, patches are released. Also to enhance the product some better
versions are released. Maintenance is done to deliver these changes in the customer
environment.
All these phases are cascaded to each other in which progress is seen as flowing steadily
downwards (like a waterfall) through the phases. The next phase is started only after the
defined set of goals are achieved for previous phase and it is signed off, so the name
"Waterfall Model". In this model, phases do not overlap.

Waterfall Model - Application

 Requirements are very well documented, clear and fixed.

 Product definition is stable.
 Technology is understood and is not dynamic.
 There are no ambiguous requirements.
  Ample resources with required expertise are available to support the product.
 The project is short.

Waterfall Model - Advantages

 Simple and easy to understand and use

 Easy to manage due to the rigidity of the model. Each phase has specific deliverables
and a review process.
 Phases are processed and completed one at a time.
 Works well for smaller projects where requirements are very well understood.
 Clearly defined stages.
 Well understood milestones.
 Easy to arrange tasks.
 Process and results are well documented.

Waterfall Model - Disadvantages

 No working software is produced until late during the life cycle.

 High amounts of risk and uncertainty.
 Not a good model for complex and object-oriented projects.
 Poor model for long and ongoing projects.
 Not suitable for the projects where requirements are at a moderate to high risk of
changing. So, risk and uncertainty is high with this process model.
 It is difficult to measure progress within stages.
 Cannot accommodate changing requirements.
 Adjusting scope during the life cycle can end a project.
 Integration is done as a "big-bang. at the very end, which doesn't allow identifying
any technological or business bottleneck or challenges early.

Incremental Model

Incremental Model is a process of software development where requirements are broken

down into multiple standalone modules of software development cycle. Incremental
development is done in steps from analysis design, implementation, testing/verification,
maintenance.
Each iteration passes through the requirements, design, coding and testing phases. And
each subsequent release of the system adds function to the previous release until all designed
functionality has been implemented.

The system is put into production when the first increment is delivered. The first increment is
often a core product where the basic requirements are addressed, and supplementary features
are added in the next increments. Once the core product is analyzed by the client, there is
plan development for the next increment.

When to use Incremental models?

 Requirements of the system are clearly understood

 When demand for an early release of a product arises
 When software engineering team are not very well skilled or trained
 When high-risk features and goals are involved
 Such methodology is more in use for web application and product based companies

Advantages
The software will be generated quickly during the software life cycle
It is flexible and less expensive to change requirements and scope
Throughout the development stages changes can be done
This model is less costly compared to others
A customer can respond to each building

Disadvantages
The software will be generated quickly during the software life cycle
It is flexible and less expensive to change requirements and scope
Throughout the development stages changes can be done
 This model is less costly compared to others
 Advantages

RAD MODEL

The RAPID APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT MODEL is a software development model which

emphasizes speed and feedback over long development and testing cycles. In this model,
prototypes are rapidly churned out and delivered to the client for feedback on future prototypes,
where new functions are added.

The RAD model falls into the category of Agile development techniques, which are iterative and
incremental methods of software development focused on speed and quick development, more
than the long and detailed process that the waterfall model is usually known for.

StepsintheRapidApplicationDevelopmentModel

Typically, there are four Rapid Application Development phases:

1. Plan Requirements
2. User Design
3. Rapid Construction
4. Finalization

Plan Requirements
During this phase, developers and end users get together and find out what the requirements are.
This includes project scope, time allocated, and basic functionalities required. It’s not a
comprehensive stage since it’s understood that the functionalities will change and evolve as time
passes.

User Design
This is where feedback is gathered from the users. While doing so, architecture and design for
the product are kept in mind to understand what’s possible and what’s not.
In addition, this feedback from users allows for initial prototypes to be produced quickly. This
prototyping step is done as many times as required to finalize all the features and functionalities
of the product.

Rapid Construction
After the prototypes in the previous step are confirmed, the features and functions are finalized,
and the construction of the final product begins. The construction of the final product is a lot
faster than traditional methods since the modules for the decided features were already made in
the prototypes. Code reusability is a major factor to consider when following the Rapid
Application Development model, since speed and efficiency do matter.

Finalization
This is where the product moves from the building environment to the live environment—from
the construction phase to the testing phase. Here, the functions and user interface are tested
thoroughly to ensure they all work together without bugs and glitches.

Another part of this step is the training that’s given to end users to ensure that they understand
how to use the product, and where they can find what they need.

SPIRAL MODEL

The spiral model is a combination of sequential and prototype models. This model is best
used for large projects which involve continuous enhancements. There are specific activities
that are done in one iteration (spiral) where the output is a small prototype of the large
software. The same activities are then repeated for all the spirals until the entire software is
built.

To explain in simpler terms, the steps involved in the spiral model are:
A spiral model has 4 phases described below:
1. Planning phase
2. Risk analysis phase
3. Engineering phase

4. Evaluation phase.

Advantages of Spiral Model:

 Software is produced early in the software life cycle.

 Risk handling is one of important advantages of the Spiral model, it is best
development model to follow due to the risk analysis and risk handling at every
phase.
 Flexibility in requirements. ...
 It is good for large and complex projects.

Disadvantages of Spiral Model:

 It is not suitable for small projects as it is expensive.

 It is much more complex than other SDLC models. ...
 Too much dependable on Risk Analysis and requires highly specific expertise.
 Difficulty in time management. ...
 Spiral may go on indefinitely.
 End of the project may not be known early.

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